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Atlanta Police Chief George N. Turner begins his day at 5 a.m. with a devotional, prayer and workout. He often ends it 15 hours later with a plate of food his sleeping wife has left out. In between, there are meetings and more meetings — with the community, the press, city officials and, of course, the officers he leads. How do we know? On March 11, Turner chronicled his day on social medial for the citizens of Atlanta. He took time afterward to chat about the Atlanta Police Department and the effort to better connect with public through “A Day in the Life” campaign.
Q: What were you trying to accomplish in chronicling a day in your life?
A: Some people see the police in a negative fashion. We wanted to give them an opportunity to see the police, especially at the top of the organization, in a different kind of light. Our intent is to have additional days with a homicide officer, a 911 dispatcher and a code enforcement officer.
Q: How do you think yours went?
A: Fairly well. We need to go bigger with our social media and now we have 56 new Twitter followers. To be perfectly honest, social media is all new to me.
Q: So you took your first selfie during your Day in the Life?
A: I was at a public safety committee meeting and had been instructed to make sure I take photos. No other staff was there so that’s what I did. I didn’t even know that was what it was called.
Q: So are you a Twitter addict now?
A: No ma’am.
Q: You are a true Atlantan, aren’t you?
A: I was born at Grady Hospital and spent my first nine years in the Perry Homes housing project in northwest Atlanta. My folks were fortunate to be able to buy a house in southwest Atlanta. I went through Atlanta Public Schools and Clark College. I will have been on the Atlanta Police Department 33 years in July.
Q: How has policing Atlanta changed in that time?
A: When I came into the department in 1981, a drug case was a guy with a marijuana stick. Then the crack epidemic took over. Now you are starting to see an influx of heroin again. It seems our criminals are getting younger and younger.
Q: Why is that?
A: I believe it has a lot to do with the social ills affiliated with our city. Clearly, when a young person doesn’t finish high school, there are not a lot of choices for them.
Q: What is the biggest problem confronting the department?
A: Dealing with repeat offenders. I am not talking about people who make one, two, even three mistakes. I am talking about those who continue to prey on our citizens and not being held accountable for their actions.
Q: What’s the answer?
A: We have to be more coordinated in our efforts with both the courts and Fulton County commissioners. That is the only way, not continuing to point fingers at each other.
Q: Has the job of policing gotten better or worse over time?
A: Definitely better. We are more strategic in our approach. We have a data software system that allows us to predict in a 500 square foot area where that next crimes are going to occur. That allows us to have officers in those places to deter and prevent crimes.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish as chief?
A: Since I became chief, overall crime is down 18 percent. Violent crime is down as well. We have grown the Atlanta Police Department to more than 2,000 sworn officers, the largest level ever. We have gotten better and smarter because of the technology. I think we can do better. My desire is to make us a great police department.
Q: How do you do that?
A: We have a chance to make sure our police officers are better taken care of, better educated and better trained. Because of a partnership with the Atlanta Police Foundation, which supports a housing incentive program, we are moving more police officers inside the city so that community policing becomes a reality. People are more responsible for the community they live in.
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